Behind the Curtain - Heathers

Seventeen (Reprise)

Artemis was crying at the bottom of the building as she watched helplessly. She could see two figures at the edge, Babs and Dick. Could see him almost step off so many times. Could see as they both fell and hit the pavement.

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She jumped awake. They weren't dead, Babs had talked him down, somehow. They were both alive. But it wouldn't leave her head, how fragile life was, how short it could be cut. And how much she was wasting by hating her family. She still hadn't been home since she'd seen Jade almost a month ago. Maybe she should, maybe they should all get together, mend their differences and agree to get along, the start of a family at least. She stood up, brushing the dirt from her clothes as she headed to the local bakery for breakfast. She hadn't been to the mountain either, not with Wally there. But maybe she should make amends with everyone. Gather the whole team together and tell them all the truth at once. She quickly sent the message to the group chat before she lost the nerve. At least that was that sorted if she actually showed up.

"Normal?" Adrian, the shop keeper, asked.

"Please," Artemis said as she swiped over her card, thankful her mum hadn't frozen it yet, but she was starting to run out of money, and soon she'd be in real trouble.

She was leaving the store to head back to her normal corner when she noticed someone else already there.

"What do you want?" She asked the shadow.

"Thought I might find you here," She relaxed at the sound of Jason's voice, "Started roughing it, have you?"

"None of your concern," She said, "Now if you'll leave me and my toast alone."

"I'd hardly call that toast, it looks like warm bread," He said.

"Technicalities," She muttered.

"I brought you some butter and jam to put with it," He said, "And you should accept it, street living gets tough."

"And how would the ward of Bruce Wayne know that?" Artemis jibed even as she took the gifts.

"I was a street rat before he took me in," Jason explained, "Funny story, Batman caught me trying to steal his tires one night, I almost had them all off and said he knew a place where I could go. Takes me to a young peoples home and tells me to wait, someone will come to get you tomorrow. I thought, why not see if it checks through, it did. Bruce Wayne came to collect me. Funny right, why would Bruce Wayne adopt a homeless kid he doesn't know. So anyway, I go to live with him and he and Grayson spend a lot of evenings and nights out of the manor, so of course, I did some exploring. I was in the living room one evening when I heard voices from in the wall, so of course, natural reaction, hid behind the sofa, and Batman and Robin walk out of the clock. Don't worry, the story gets better. So I now know their identities, so I spend time trying to figure this clock out, I get it open, I head down and boom. Batcave. And then, boom, Batcomputer logged on. I do the only thing I can, I search up the identities of every known villain and hero. Though you weren't hard to figure out, Artemis and Artemis. Maybe take your mum's old title and go by Tigress."

"Wait, wait," She interrupted him, "They know my mum's Tigress? Do they have a record of my entire family?"

"Yeah," Jason replied, "Why else would they send you the scholarship?"

"Oh my god," Artemis muttered aloud, it suddenly clicked, "So this means Robin's known all along?"

"That he has," Jason said, "Anyway, we were listening to my funny story-"

"Shhhhh," Artemis stopped him, "It wasn't that funny. And I have places to be." She started to walk away before she turned back to the teen, "Oh, and thank you."